Maiton Island Thailand'Popular For Honeymooners'

Maiton Island or Timber Island as the local Thai population call it (due to the heavily forested landscape) is a tranquil little island located approximately 9 kilometres off the southeast coast of Phuket in southern Thailand. Situated between Phuket and Phi Phi Island, this small slice of heaven on earth is overlooked by most tourists and tour operators visiting Phuket (and surrounding regions) because of the limited infrastructure which exists on the island.

But the lush tropical vegetation and cool sea breezes mean that temperatures are quite pleasant here and range between 21-35 degrees Celsius. In addition, the island also has a lovely beach located adjacent to the resort, and it provides white sand which looks similar to talcum powder.

BACKGROUND

Maiton Island has built up a loyal following of customers, becoming a favorite destination for newly married couples, with the only resort on the island being appropriately named, the Honeymoon Island Resort (formerly known as the Maiton Island Resort). For people who don't wish to stay here, you can choose to visit Maiton on a day trip from Phuket.

The Honeymoon Island Resort was built by the Maiton Estate and Resort Co.Ltd back in 1991 and included over 79, 1 and 2 bedroom villas along with a number of other buildings (see image above). The initial cost of construction was approximately 42 million Thai baht or around 1.7 million USD. The resort also underwent a redevelopment in 2010 which included a refurbishment of the existing villas.

This high-end resort is quite special as it is set amongst a tropical landscape vegetated with coconut and
shady palm trees on an island which remains relatively unspoiled. Further, these family friendly guest villas are located just metres back from the beach front, meaning you can literally walk out your front door and you are on your own private beach (see image below).

The
guest rooms inside the villas feature all the usual amenities such as a hot
and cold shower, toilet, air-conditioning, mini-bar and in-room entertainment
including cable TV (see image below).

Although, the main resort complex also includes a conference facility, a restaurant and gift shop,
which are each finished to a high standard.

The entire complex is situated
smack on the beach front providing 5 star views of the beautiful Andaman
Sea. Hence, this destination is also being called 'Honeymoon Island'
by many of the guests who choose to visit this destination as part of their post
wedding itinerary.

If you are looking for a holiday destination which is characterized by crowded walking streets, an abundance of shops, pubs and late night disco's then Maiton Island is probably not for you.

The the more popular Islands such as Phuket, Koh Samui and Phi Phi are the better option if this is what you are looking for. Maiton Island provides guests with a number of activities but without all the fuss and the large crowds.

ACTIVITIES

Despite only having one resort, there are still a good selection of activities for those who wish to venture outside their hotel rooms including tennis, swimming, sun bathing, diving and snorkeling (which allows you to see dolphins at different times), kayaking and sailing, and bush walking. There are also sauna, spa and massage (see image below) facilities available for those who prefer to be pampered during their stay.

Hence,
this is probably a destination more suited to those people seeking to
do as little as possible and who don't wish to be disturbed by other
guests. In fact, depending upon the number of guests staying at the
resort, you can literally feel as though you are the only person living
on this very private island.

GETTING THERE

The
best way to travel to Maiton Island is by taking a boat from the Chalong
Pier located on the east coast of Phuket. Many visitors choose to catch a longtail boat which takes approximately 1 hour and costs about 1,000 Thai baht per person. A speedboat takes around 20 minutes.

If you are already in Bangkok, Thailand the
best way to travel to Phuket is by either plane or bus. Flights from
Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport to Phuket's International Airport occur daily with a number of local
airlines servicing the island including Nok Air, Air Asia and Thai
Airways.

Being an international airport, direct flights are available to
Phuket from a number of countries including Australia, Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan to name a few. There
are an abundance of taxi's and mini-vans located outside the Phuket
airport to transport you to your hotel.